Innocence
by Kaifeuille
Summary: Ginny remembers how she and Draco rose to power. 'For Light is all too fleeting in the night, and insanity conquers all.' One shot, darkfic, post-hogwarts, DG. R&R...please?


She had changed, over the years…become something beautiful, exotic, and rare. Her hair was black, with the vaguest hint of red when the firelight flickered across it. She was flawless…not one blemish, misshapen limb, or scar marred her perfection. She was wearing a deep red gown, fit for a princess. And a princess she was. In time, she would be more. In time, if all went well, she would be queen…if all went well.

She sat in the window seat of her manor…her castle, staring outside, as the snowflakes danced about in an ever-changing design. Her husband was not home, nor was any other living soul, at the moment. She had dismissed them all except, of course, the house-elves and ghosts. It was so still…so silent. Peaceful, even. As the storm raged, she was lost to the world. Lost in her thoughts; lost in her memories.

Innocence was something to be cherished. And her innocence had been killed nearly fifteen years ago. And her family was too ignorant to see it happen. It was _he_ who had first introduced her to the sweet seduction of darkness. But she had far outdone him…

_She felt the burning of the Dark Mark instantly, along with all of the other Death Eaters. The mingled sensation of pleasure and pain raced through her entire body, making her skin tingle. Her lover was immediately at her side, his eyes dark and foreboding. Tonight was the night that they would break their bonds with the Dark Lord once and for all. With the briefest inclination of his head, he affirmed their plans. That was it; there would be no going back. _

_Together, the pair Apparated to the meeting place, taking their places at the right hand of the Dark Lord. The two lovers were among the most favored Death Eaters; it was by their hands that the famous Harry Potter had met his end, yet treachery lay in their hearts tonight. Their hearts were closed to all but each other- the two were much more than simple lovers; they were soul mates. It could be said that their hearts and wills were one. And tonight, of all nights, that held especially true._

_ "Hello, my Lord," Ginevra said, bowing mockingly to Voldemort, "I _trust_ you have been well?" she said, stressing the second word. Voldemort was no fool; she would give him that. He had stiffened when she spoke: he knew something was wrong._

_ "I have, and you, Lady Ginevra?"_

_ A feral smile crossed her lover's face as the great Dark Lord addressed his love as Lady. She was no lady- not in the traditional respect. She was much too dark; too twisted for that. She commanded respect, but she was no lady to be idly dangled about on one's arm as an ornament. Ginevra may be many things, but she was not, and never would be, an ornament. _

_"How have I been? You tell me," she said, her lilting tone carrying across the silent courtyard, "Or, rather, don't tell me," she smiled cruelly, her eyes cold and calculating, "I hear there is some truth to a certain rumor. Are there some things you have been keeping from us? …My Lord," she bit off the last two words as if they were poisonous._

_Voldemort's eyes narrowed, and he whipped out his wand, "AVA-_

_"-da Kedavra," two voices finished first, speaking as one. Two bolts of green light hit the Dark Lord in the chest, and his eyes widened. Ordinarily, the killing curse would have no affect on him. But these two were not ordinary. And, for all his cunning, the Dark Lord had never noticed how extraordinary they were. Until now. And it was too late- much too late- for him. Lord Voldemort, the Great Dark Lord, was dead. He had cheated death before, but this time was final. Ginevra and Draco Malfoy would not be cheated by the halfblood 'Lord' ever again._

She smiled at the thought…how a halfblood had thought to deceive them forever eluded her. If she had not been so blinded by hatred of the Light to see that it, too, contained truth, then the messy business with Voldemort would have been finished much sooner. If she had not been so blind, so many things would have gone smoother in life. But she had been blind, and she had learned. She learned that others were just as… _willing_ to be blind. And she had applied what she learned very quickly…

_"H-Harry," she said, starting out as meekly as she could manage. She had shown up outside the door of the Boy-Who-Lived's flat in muggle London, clothed in rags and bruised late on August 10th. Harry hadn't said a word when he opened the door, just stood there, staring. "Harry," her voice had a desperate tone, "He had me under the Imperious Curse! Please, you have to believe me…you have to understand…" she sighed brokenly, her eyes full of sadness._

_"Ginny? Is that you? Really you?" Harry's voice was a mixture of sadness, shock, and, if she was right, a little gladness- she smiled inwardly: he believed her!_

_"Harry…I'm so sorry about Hermione. I-I can't believe he did that…I'm so sorry. So sorry," she said quietly._

_ To her surprise, Harry enveloped her in a big hug, "Oh Ginny," he murmured, muffled by her hair, "I've missed you- we've missed you. All of us," he pushed her back to arm's length, studying her. "You look terrible!" he declared, "Come. You must come in!"_

_ Glancing over her shoulder once, she allowed herself to be led into Harry's comfortable living room. Harry ran off to get her some tea, and she took the chance to take in her surroundings. The flat was airy, clean, and very…bland. It had no personality; no lived in feeling. Ginny shuddered- apparently Hermione's death had really taken the life out of one Mr. Harry Potter. Lost in her musings, Ginny jumped when Harry suddenly reappeared with her tea._

_ "Ginny…do sit down! What would your family say if they came to see their daughter, just returned from the Imperious curse, no less, standing awkwardly in my home instead of making herself at home!" Harry's eyes danced with amusement. He, apparently, was ready to forgive and forget, Ginny thought._

_"Harry…It means so much to me that you're willing to forgive me," she said, in a voice barely above a whisper, "After all I did. I helped kill your fiancée, dammit!" she said hoarsely, shaking a little._

_ Immediately, Harry was at her side, holding her. "Oh Ginny…of course I forgive you. It wasn't you're fault in the first place. It was Draco's, the bastard! He made you help! Yes…I'll go after him," Harry started out vehemently, but trailed off, sounding distracted. Suddenly, Ginny pushed him away, fed up with the charade._

"_Oh Harry…you are so blind…so weak," she said coldly, her voice dripping with venom. Harry recoiled, as if she had hit him._

_ "Gi-Ginny…it's the Imperious Curse! You have to fight it!"_

_"Oh…how naïve, Potter. You honestly bought this bullshit? Poor, little, innocent Ginny," she said mockingly, drawing her wand, "would never, ever do this to Saint Potter now, would she? Hmm?"_

_"Ginny…the curse," Harry started, his voice now lacking conviction._

_"You bloody fool!" She sighed, "There never was a curse. Never will be. You see…that foolish ex-headmaster of mine spent many years trying to figure out how to transfer that pesky little love protection from your Aunt and Uncle's house to your new choice of residence, and, sadly enough, he succeeded. And, whether or not you know it, you are surrounded by so many people protecting you at all other times that we found a far easier way to get to you," she said emotionlessly, "Because, you see, Dumbledore's new protection for you was not without some compromises. And one of those little compromises was that you couldn't be harmed from those who were uninvited in your home. See where I'm going with this yet?" Without letting him get in a word, she continued, "Well, I'll spell it out for you anyways. I have a couple more minutes to kill until my birthday anyways. I was invited into your home, which means I have the inestimable pleasure of making you the Boy-Who-Finally-Died. Best birthday present, don't you think," she said conversationally, her wand leveled straight at him, "What, cat got your tongue?" she taunted, "Any last words?"_

_Harry looked at her, shocked. He couldn't believe it- he wouldn't. He shook his head numbly as the clock struck midnight. A dead voice said quietly, "Goodbye, Harry. Avada Kedavra." _

_The Boy-Who-Was-Once-Alive fell to the ground with a thud, and a few peals of laughter rang out through the otherwise silent flat._

_"Well done, m'love," Draco said, Apparating into the flat. Now that Harry was dead, all protection centered on him had ended. There was no need to protect a dead body, was there? "But I recommend we leave now. The whole world will know Saint Potter's dead within minutes."_

_ Ginevra gave him an odd look, and said impatiently, "One minute!" She skipped the few steps over to where Potter's body laid, and withdrew a charm bracelet from her pocket. "Ron gave it to me last year for Christmas," she said, a glint in her eyes that could be described as nothing other than mischievous as she placed the charm on the Boy-Who-Died's chest. "Fitting, I think," she said sharply, before turning and walking back towards Draco. Leaning into him, the pair Apparated away moments before Aurors flooded the place._

It had been all over the news the next day- Harry Potter Murdered in His Own Home, The Boy-Who-Lives Dead, and so on. The wizarding world was plunged into mourning, but not once was there a mention of her involvement. She knew Ron had been among the Aurors who found Potter, so he, at least, knew that she had something to do with it. At first, she couldn't figure out why the news of her involvement hadn't gotten out as she planned. And she didn't like not knowing…

_ It was around dusk, on an unremarkable mid-October day, when Ginevra showed up in the twin's room at the Burrow. Apparently, her family hadn't bothered to change the wards on her house to prevent her from Apparating in. Then again… they _were_ trusting fools. Even though she had never come home since the night she had killed Potter, they were still blind enough to hope for the best. She stamped her foot impatiently. Did it honestly take that long for the twins to finish with the 'family dinner let's play pranks on everyone' bit? Stamping her foot once more, she sat down stiffly on the couch in their room. The twins had always been there for her- they had seen her fall into darkness, and they had followed her. Their pranks- they had been the easiest way for them to deal with living with a set of absolutely disgusting parents. Oddly enough, they weren't her only brothers to see the error of their parent's ways. She knew Charlie was proud of his heritage, he knew the dangers of foul blood. She was fairly certain Bill agreed, but he would be hesitant about the demise of his parents. And Percy- well…he was too caught up in his work to notice much, but he would go with the winning side. _

_Her thoughts were interrupted by the return of the twins to their room. Their idle banter ceased when they saw Ginevra. "Is it time?" they questioned softly, as one._

_She nodded, almost imperceptibly. "I haven't bothered checking…who's here?" She had been rash, it was true, in showing up without planning, but…she just couldn't stand it anymore. _

_If the twins were surprised at her lack of planning, they didn't show it. "Just mum, dad, and Ron," Fred said quietly._

"_Bill and Charlie are off in their own lives, of course. And Percy…is Percy. Haven't seen 'im in ages," Fred added._

"_Very well," was all she said for a couple of moments, staring intently ahead. She finally broke the silence, "I want you two to return downstairs. Get them all in the family room, however you have to. I'll come in, come up with some bullshit that will just hurt them, then you two…" she paused, licking her lips in anticipation, "will reveal your supposed great betrayal of them. I want you two to take dad and do away with the muggle-loving fool. I'll detain mum and Ron…and you can come back to see the…entertainment," she said, a wicked smile on her face. The twins nodded silently, and backed out of the room._

_She took the few minutes she had to check her appearance- after all, first impressions were important, and last impressions equally so. She had come a long way for someone just a year out of Hogwarts. She was decked out in simple, yet elegant black robes with red trim, and every bit of her was the epitome of perfection. Her hair had become perfectly straight, and had darkened to black that shone red in the light, and her eyes…her eyes had become ringed in red, but, for the most part, had stayed the same. She knew she was beautiful, she knew she was something special. Her powers had chosen her, and she was well aware of the fact that she hadn't reached her peak, either. Neither her nor Draco was at the height of their powers yet, and they had promised each other that they would challenge the Dark Lord…but not until they were significantly stronger. Until then…they bided their time patiently, following orders. Potter's death had been at her Lord's behest, not that she truly minded. But this…going after her family…it had been her doing. She knew that Draco had gone and rid the world of Hermione, that officious mudblood, months before the death of her precious boyfriend Potter, but she had felt no need to join him in that particular diversion. _

_She sighed. These little insubordinations were what they would have to remain content with until they could challenge Voldemort. She respected the Dark Lord a great deal…but neither she nor Draco was prepared to let another lead them around forever. They were destined to be great! Not someone else's lackeys, but great by themselves. And they fully intended to accomplish that…when the time was right. _

_Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she headed down the stairs. They twins were far from incompetent; they had surely managed to get everyone in the room by now without raising suspicion. She leaned against the doorframe, waiting for her presence to be noticed. The twins had evidently decided to take the time to show the family some of their newest 'products'. Fred stopped speaking immediately when he saw her, and the rest of the family quickly caught on, "Hello Mother. Father. Ron," she said coolly, nodding to each of her respective family members in turn, "Fancy meeting you here."_

"_Gi-Ginny," Ron blanched, "Wh-where have you been?"_

"_Oh Ron," she said contemptuously, "I would have thought someone as…" she paused delicately, "intelligent as you would have understood that, by leaving the bracelet you gave me on the dead body of one Mr. Harry Potter, I was trying to give you a message…" she trailed off, watching him and her parents carefully. From her parents' reaction, it was obvious Ron hadn't told them about her little signature. She was surprised; she hadn't thought Ron had the balls to flat out lie about something like that._

"_Ginny dear…what are you talking about?" queried Mrs. Weasley, her maternal instincts preventing her from seeing what was right in front of her._

"_You Weasleys—" _

_Ginevra started, but was interrupted by Ron, "What do you mean 'you Weasleys?' You _are_ a Weasley!" he said, his face contorting in all manner of unusual ways._

"_Ah ah ah," she said, wagging her finger at him mockingly, "I do not tarnish myself with that name anymore. I'm a Prewett. Just like your brothers, eh, Mum?"_

_Mrs. Weasley's eyes widened as she spluttered, "Bu-well-I-I havenoideawhatyou'retalkingabout!"_

_Ginevra's eyes danced mirthfully, "Gideon and Fabian had the right of things…they were the best spies, before myself, that is, that Lord Voldemort has ever known. Why don't you tell us the truth, eh, Mum?" she spoke lightly, taunting her to tell the truth. The truth could hurt, and she fully intended on making Ron and her parent's last few moments as painful as she could._

_Mrs. Weasley didn't speak, just stared at her daughter. The cold gaze of her daughter's once familiar eyes was too much, and she shuddered. "Very well," she said sadly, and Ginevra raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn't expected it to be this easy…her mum was taking all the fun out of it! She pouted childishly as her mother continued, "I loved my brothers very much. But they…they had a difference of opinion. They…they sided with Voldemort. And I never saw it," Mrs. Weasley said emotionlessly, "Then…one day, they attacked the Order. They had let in 5 other death Eaters with them, and the seven of them went after everyone at headquarters. They were both finally killed. I killed Gideon with the killing curse. I got my own brother…my own flesh and blood…in the back." Despite the subject of her words, Mrs. Weasley's voice was dead, the life temporarily drained from her face._

_Ginevra couldn't help herself, she laughed. Perhaps there was more to…this woman than she had none. But, never mind…it looked as if Fred and George were about to have a go at it._

_The twins stood up as one, and Fred spoke up, "Touching story mum…"_

"_Really. It touched our hearts," George said, stabbing himself in the chest dramatically with his forefinger._

"_And you know what runs through our hearts…_mum_?" Fred said, twisting the last word cruelly, "Blood."_

"_Pure blood," George finished, smiling viciously as the two whipped out their wands, "Looking for those?" he added as Fred displayed their three victims' wands._

"_Ginny! Fred! George! Cut out this nonsense this instance!" Mrs. Weasley snapped, having finally found her tongue, "You know not of what you speak! You're just children! How dare you go playing around with this…this foolishness?!"_

_Ginevra smiled then, a smile which made those who did not know her uncomfortable. Those who _did_ know her knew that whomever she smiled at was doomed. "Foolishness? I think that it is you who is foolish. And you must die for that…_mum_," she said coldly, her voice taking on a taunting edge at the last word. "Fred…change of plans. It's time for the entertainment. Give Ron back his wand," she said, waving her hand carelessly in the direction of her older brother. Fred gave her a strange look, but complied with her command. After all…who was _he_ to refuse _her_? "Ron. You are going to kill your dear mum. If not now, then you will when I'm through with you," she said lazily, not sounding as if she was ordering her brother to kill their mother. Before Ron could utter a coherent word of protest, she waved her hand in the direction of her father, who, having remained silent throughout it all, looked as if he was finally going to speak, "Petrificus Totalus," she said, and then waved her hand again at her mother._

_Ron gasped. "Bu-but…where's your wand? What have you done with my sister?" he demanded angrily, staring at her._

"_Bu-but I don't need a wand," Ginevra said mockingly, "I'm not weak, like you. Mum…no hard feelings, I hope," she said lightly, her eyes twinkling in amusement, "Ron. Do as I say, or I will cause you so much pain that you will only hope to die. But, the beauty of it is that you wouldn't die…you couldn't die, not until you killed mum, that is. So…we can do this the hard way, which is, I admit, a good deal more amusing, if tedious in nature…or the easy way. Which will you have?"_

_Ron's expression was…priceless. There was no other way to put it. His eyes were bulging, his teeth were bared, his skin was an odd mix of red and purple, and his nostrils were flared, making him look like a very poor, weak, yet still angry demon. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'll never kill mum!"_

"_Oh…I did ever so hope that he would choose the hard way!" she said in an aside to the twins, sounding like a child in a candy shop, "As you wish…_brother_." _

_This time, she didn't even bother with the pretense of waving her hand, and just glanced at Ron. This accomplished several things. Firstly, it tied Ron's continued life…the continued existence of his soul in his body…to Mrs. Weasley's life, making it impossible for him to die until she did. Secondly, it caused every individual blood cell to immediately burst forth from his body- a rather advanced, and entirely illegal, alteration of the banishing charm. Instead of causing Ron drowsiness, Ginevra had rigged the spell so that each drop of blood expelled from his body caused an instantaneous and searing pain to spread through his body. As muggles and wizards alike have quarts of blood, this is an excruciatingly painful, and exceptionally messy curse. Within seconds, all of Ron's blood had been banished from his body whilst a wordless, agony-filled scream escaped his lips._

"_Kill her now, dearest brother…for that was but a taste," she said, staring into Ron's eye sockets. It's an amazing thing, how poorly human bodies operate when they have no blood within them. Ron's eyeballs, for instance, had shriveled up into two blobs that resembled nothing more than two sunny-side up eggs. _

_Ron struggled to speak but, alas, no words were capable of passing through his bloodless lips. It was quite comical, really- he was coated in blood, looking as if he'd been skinned, had two eggs for eyes, and perhaps most amusing, no teeth. "Can't speak, hmm? Well, lucky for you," she said, seemingly restraining laughter, "I'm quite a skilled Legilimens. Let's see if you're ready to kill your mum yet," she said, an immediate thoughtful expression crossing her face. A moment passed, and she frowned, "Dear brother, where _are_ your brave Gryffindor values? Just one itsy-bitsy curse, and you're already willing to do _anything_ to die?" She shook her head in disgust, "You truly are filth. I've met veritable scumbags with more heart than you! Fine! Kill her! If it takes just one fucking curse for you to break, then this war is going to be much easier than I thought!" Ginevra was _not_ pleased, as one might have expected her to be. Her own kith and kin had been broken so easily…it didn't bode well with her. _

And it still did not sit well in her heart. Her brother had been so willing, so ready to kill his own mother, whom he loved, after one pitiful curse. One! She had animated both her mother and father, forcing him to watch as his one loyal son killed his mother. She had worked herself up into a foul mood, though, and was no longer amused by her family's antics, quickly killing her father before setting ablaze the Burrow. That particular memory always put her in a bad mood. Being reminded she was related to such weak-hearted fools…it was not the sort of thing that warmed her heart. However…Charlie, Bill, and Percy had all seen the right of things, and had, in time, lost themselves in the Dark. She smiled faintly at that…her blood hadn't been completely ruined, after all. Only 3 weaklings in the entire Prewett line.

She started when she suddenly felt her husband's presence, "How did your ever-so-secret attempt to remove Dumbledore from the living go this time?" she said harshly. If there was ever a subject upon with the two of them disagreed, it was this. Ginevra was fed up with Draco's constant failed attempts on Dumbledore's life, and had long since decided that they should gain more power before going after him. Dumbledore was, in effect, the only thing holding the Light together…he was not something to be trifled with. Draco, on the other hand, was not one for subtlety, or for marshalling one's strength. He went after Dumbledore nearly every week; each subsequent failure did nothing to discourage his belief that he would eventually succeed.

Draco, on his part, just grinned widely, "Oh…I dunno," he said casually, an odd conical shape dangling from his right hand, obscured by darkness. "Does _this_," he brandished the shape in front of the fire, revealing it to be Dumbledore's head, held by the old, and, finally, dead man's ridiculously long hair, "tell you anything?"

A slow smile crossed Ginevra's face and her eyes glittered. Dumbledore had been the only person between her and Draco ruling the world, to put it melodramatically, and he was dead. In effect, Dumbledore had been the last person protecting the innocence of the world…and he was gone. A wise, possibly insane man had once said, '_as night follows day, Darkness will always conquer Light. Innocence, once lost, may never be regained_.' She herself had lost her innocence nearly 15 years ago, and the world would be purged of its…_innocence_ this year. Rape and pillage; conquer and destroy. The world would be made anew in their image. "I believe, love," she said, watching Draco as he threw Dumbledore's head in the fire, "that this calls for a celebration."

With a negligent wave of his hand, the fire doubled in intensity, "Muggle London was looking a bit too…_tainted_ for my tastes. Could do with some cleansing. And I believe there was a promise made about tonight, was there not?"

Ginevra nodded. Despite the fact that the two of them were irrevocably bound to each other, almost from the moment they met, they had promised to not to get married until they held ultimate power. That wasn't to say they hadn't consummated their eventual marriage years before, they had simply wanted something symbolic to mark their ascension to complete power. And what, they had reasoned, was more symbolic than binding yourself to the person you loved for eternity?

Darkness was not equivalent with misery and suffering, although, for some, it did mean that. There was happiness, love…even innocence, after a fashion, in darkness. There was not, however, ignorance. Not anymore. Ignorance had died with Voldemort, just as the innocence of the world would die because of them. A long moment had passed before Ginevra spoke again, "I believe there was. Let me call my brothers, and we can begin."

And that was the beginning of the end. The end of innocence, the end of impurity, the end of the Light.

**A/N**: Let's see…

Prewett is Molly's maiden name, and, while it doesn't say that Gideon and Fabian were her brothers, I decided to assume so. They were listed as close relatives, and officially died when they were killed by 5 death Eaters. They were members of the Order, but I…edited that bit.

I tried to use Ginevra when she was in her "evil mode" and Ginny when she was either good or people were, at the moment, convinced of her innocence (aka she was acting like Ginny)…but I don't think I kept it straight. sigh

And, since it wasn't entirely clear when everyone was killed- Harry, Ron, and Ginny's parents were killed the year after she completed her schooling at Hogwarts, Dumbledore was killed when Ginny was 26, and Voldemort was killed…somewhere in between.

(12/06/04) - Obsessive as I am, I went back and fixed the end and all that good stuff. I may eventually end up basing a full story on this, but, for the moment, it will remain a one-shot.

Please! Constructive reviews!


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